Teens learning to drive is a parent's best dream and worst nightmare! It's the BEST when we don't have to drive them to and from every activity, but it's SO SCARY. I mean, their brains are not fully developed, and we're putting them in charge of a lethal machine. Yikes! 

This week we talk about the steps to getting a driver's license, as well as how to keep your risk-taking teen a little safer. 

• Steps to getting a license
• Scary statistics
• How to help your teen drive more safely

Resources:

• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Teen Driver Source

• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Teen Driving Plan 

• Learner Permit, Zero Fatalities

• 9 Free Apps to Help Your Students Pass Their Driving Exam, Driving School

• Jane E. Brody, Helping Teenagers to Be Safer Drivers, NY Times

• Keep Teen Drivers Safe, CDC 

• Safe Vehicles for Teens, IIHS 

• Parent-Teen Driving Agreement, Health Children Org

• Teen’s Biggest Safety Threat is Sitting on the Driveway, NSC,

• Driving Restrictions for Teen Driver’s By Age in Utah, Utah Gov

As we head into the winter season, we want to talk with our daughters about winter holidays that are celebrated all over the world. Since we come from a Christian background, we decided to focus on other winter holidays besides Christmas. Come join us as we talk about the history, traditions, and messages of each of these holidays. AND, we take up a notch from there and also discuss why our teens need to be exposed to all different cultural traditions. Don't miss it!  

• Winter Holidays Besides Christmas
  • Hanukkah
  • Winter Solstice
  • Kwanzaa
  • Bodhi Day
  • Diwali
• Why we should care about holidays besides our own
• How to be respectful of all cultural holidays

Resources:

• Hanukkah, Chabad.org
• Winter Solstice, history.com
• Winter Solstice, rd.com
• Kwanzaa, Official Kwanzaa Website
• Kwanzaa, History.com
• Bodhi Day, npr.org
• Bodhi Day, Learn Religions
• Diwali, Kids National Geographic
• Jamie Farnsworth Finn, Teachings Teens to Respect Diversity, Today
• Michelle Crouch, Teaching Diversity to Your Kids, Parenting
• Amy L. Eva, 5 Ways to Help Teens Think Beyond Themselves, Greater Good (Berkeley)
• Kathy Sisson, How to Talk to Kids About Cultural Appropriation, The Every Mom
• Arlin Cuncic, What Is Cultural Appropriation, VeryWell

How have we not had this conversation before now?! Why are teenagers sooooo moody! And what in the world can we do about it? 

Join us this week as we have this conversation.

• Why teens are so moody (hint: it's all the brain!)
• How to tell the difference between moodiness and a bigger problem
• What to do about the moodiness. 

This is a great conversation to have with your daughter - she doesn't like being moody either! Help her understand what's going on. 

Resources:

• Dr. Janet Sasson Edgette, Have a Moody Teenager?
• Barbara Poncelet, Very Well Family - Why Teens are Moody (medically review by Ann-Louis Lockhart @dr.annlouise.lockhart) 
• Nikhil Swaminathan, Whatever!: Hormonal Reversal During Puberty Keeps Teens Totally Anxious, Scientific American
• Eliminate WMDs, YouTube
• Moodiness vs. Depression, Dr. Thomas Conover on The Scope (U of U podcast) 
• Katie Bingham Smith, Grown & Flown 
• Elsa Vulliamy, Why are Teenagers So Moody? Independent
• Gia Millar, Is My Teen Depressed or Moody? PsychCentral
• YouTube Video from ASAP Science 
• Debbie Pincus, MS LMHC, 7 Ways to Deal With, Empowering Parents 
• Want to Add Years to Your Life? Stop Complaining. Aha Parenting.

This episode was painful to record for both of us because we saw ourselves in so many of the characteristics of someone who is at-risk for being codependent! Yikes! Hopefully, because of what we've learned, we can help our girls (and ourselves!) be aware of codependency in relationships and avoid the problems that come with it. Yay for helping our daughters be better than we are! 

• Where codependency shows up
• Characteristics of someone who is at-risk for codependent relationships
• What to do if you see signs of codependency

Resources:

• Parenting a Troubled Teen? Understanding Codependency, Solutions Treatment Center
• Raychelle Cassada Lohmann, PhD, Codependency in Children, Psychology Today
• Codependency, Next Generation Village: Teen Drug and Alcohol Rehab
• Margaret Paul, PhD, 7 Signs You're in a Codependent Relationship and Why It's Unhealthy, Mind Body Green
• Kim Wong-Shing, 8 Signs of a Codependent Friendship and What to Do About It, Mind Body Green
• Sponsor (Life Success for Teens) Website, Instagram, Facebook 

It can be hard to have self-love as a teen. Between body changes, mean peers at school, and social media, our teens are bombarded with a million messages that make them question their worth. It can feel impossible to know how to help them! That's why we loved the chat we had with Lindsay Law about this topic. She gives GREAT advice on how to talk with your daughter about this tricky topic! Listen in!

• The brain and self-love
• Validating emotions and self-love
• Failure and self-love

Resources for working with Lindsay:

Unfortunately, headaches can be a big part of a teen's life. Whether your daughter has an occasional headache or struggles with them frequently, this is the episode for you! 

We talk all about why teens get headaches, the different kinds of headaches and how they're treated, and resources that are available for kids that have headaches that impact their school life. 

Resources used for the episode: 

• Headaches in Children and Teens, News-Medical article by Dr. Damien Jonas Wilson, MD here
• Don't ignore Migraines in Teenagers, WebMD here
• What is causing my teenager's migraine, and what can we do to solve it? Virginia Spine Institute here
• Early puberty in girls may be 'big bang theory for migraine, Science Daily here
• Important Information for Teens Who Get Headaches, All-Star Pediatrics here
• Migraineatschool.org
• Teenagers and Headaches, familydoctor.org here
• Genetics and Migraine, The Migraine Trust here
• The Possible Link Between Your Headache and Your Toothache, by Colleen Doherty, MD for verywellhealth here
• Blue Light and Digital Eye Strain by Daniel Porter, American Academy of Ophthalmology here

ADHD can be frustrating for parents AND teens. This week we dive into the ADHD brain - we talk about the hard AND the good! - and we give some strategies that you and your teen can use together.  Help your teen celebrate her brain the way it is and learn how to work WITH it. 

• The ADHD Brain
• Strategies for attention management
• Strategies for impulsivity

Resources used for episode:

• Elaine Tayler-Klaus & Diane Dempster (co-founders ImpactADHD), Parenting ADHD Now, Can buy here
• Hacking Your ADHD Podcast, Episode “Coaching For Your Brain with Dr. Norrine Russell,” 
• Katie Hurley, LCSW, “ADHD & Teens: How to Help Them Cope with Their Struggles” Psycom

Resources not used in episode but also super helpful:

• Mary Rooney, PhD, “ADHD in Teens,” Childmind 
• “Parenting Teens with ADHD,” CHADD
• “ADHD Symptoms in Teens: Your Guide to Warning Signs & Treatment for Adolescents,” ADDitude
• Help4ADHD.org
• Dr.Hallowell.com
• TotallyADD.com
• Instagram @impactparents @adhd_understood, @adhdmemetherapy, @motherhoodinadhd @helloiamadhd @adhdinchildrensupport
• Sponsor Link: https://lifesuccessforteens.com/
• Sponsor Instagram: @lifesuccessforteens
• Sponsor Facebook: @lifesuccessforteens

Depending on your teen experience, the word "popular" probably brings up a variety of strong emotions. Dread? Excitement? Shame? Pride? Anger? Dr. Mitch Prinstein (author of the book "Popular") nailed it when he said, "Even as adults we all still remember exactly where we stood in that social hierarchy." 

Why is this? Why does popularity matter SO much during the teen years? And how can we help our teen avoid the pitfalls? Listen this week to learn how to talk to YOUR daughter about popularity. 

• What does popular even mean?
  • Likeability vs. Status
  • Prosocial popularity, Aggressive popularity, Bistrategic popularity
• Why do we care so much about it?
  • Oxytocin and Dopamine
  • Why do mean kids become popular?
• Does it even matter? 
  • Popularity Level can set you up as higher risk for struggles later on
  • Being well-liked as a teenager is linked to higher success as an adult
  • How we perceive ourselves as adults can stay with us throughout our life
  • Take-home message? Be so careful with yourself and others. 

Resources:

• Mitch Prinstein, PhD, The Modern Teen, “A Letter to TEens About the Science of Popularity” Psychology Today (excerpt from the book “Popular: Finding Happiness and Success in a World That Cares Too Much About the Wrong Kinds of Relationships”) 

• Florida Atlantic University, “Three faces of teen popularity: Being feared, being loved, and being feared and loved” 2019. Science Daily, Original study found here

• Deborah Farmer Kris, “Being Popular: Why it Consumes Teens and Continues to Affect Adults” KQED

• Jane Parent, “Study Identifies Three Distinct Types of Popularity in Teens” Your Teen Mag